When you see Mic Diaz, you are instantly attracted to her bright personality and infectious smile. As one of the most trusted Filipino-American voices in Southern California, Mic is known for her programs that educate, inform, and entertain through virtual or in-person events.
For Mic, the goal is to support local businesses while elevating Filipino-American talent. During the pandemic, she was able to produce virtual classes, interviews, podcasts, and concerts. "The pandemic and lockdown has definitely brought more opportunities for me to be creative, productive, and assertive, and encouraged me to connect with so many people beyond my expectations," she said.
The Bible says “the last shall be first and the first shall be last.” Nothing could be truer for the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce as it was the last group to meet at the Philippine Consulate before lockdown in Feb. 2020, and the first to meet in-person on May 8, as Covid cases ease, to welcome Consul General Edgar B. Badajos, and introduce COFACC.
Besides members of COFACC and the Consular staff, Eric Elnar – Trade Commissioner at the Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles – and Tourism Attaché Richmond Jimenez were also in attendance.
Founded in 2018 by a group of 15 entrepreneurs representing five Filipino American Chambers of Commerce in Southern California, COFACC’s primary mission is to provide support and resources; share best practices to the individual member chambers, and serve as their collaborative voice.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Mic Diaz.
Hi Mic, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always been into visual and performing arts and what catapulted me into fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a presenter of performing arts was my involvement with the SoCal Pinoys Facebook group. Back in July 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, I became an admin of the group. I was responsible for programming ways to engage our now 37,000 strong membership with activities such as virtual classes, interview spotlights and panels, contests, raffles, and most significantly, online concerts. What started out as a Christmas Special virtual concert to celebrate two months of interview panels has now blossomed into a weekly interview panel featuring a slice of SoCal on Thursdays and a virtual concert featuring some of the finest musicians in SoCal on Fridays.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?